Louis block



PATBNTED PEB. 23, 1904.

L. BLOCK.

BOOK HOLDER. APPLIoA'rIoN FILED PEB. '21, 1903. RBNBWBD JAN. 15. 1904.-

jmd lll l Patented February 23, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

LOUIS BLOCK, OF NEWT YORK, N. Y.

BOOK-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,750, dated February 23, 1904. Application led I'ehruary 21, 1903. Renewed vJanuary 15, 1904. VSerial No. 189,208. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis BLOCK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in theV county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Book-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

rIlhis invention relates to bookholders and temporary binders for periodicals, and has for its main object the provision of means for adapting one and the same holder for use with books of different thicknesses without the bending of clamping arms or bars.

Another object is to control an electric-light circuit so as to automatically complete the said circuit when turning a book for use and to interrupt or break that circuit when turning` the book over to let it hang down after use thereof, and other objects, as will appear hereinafter.

To the ends thereof the invention consists of features of construction, arrangements, and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out Vin the appended claims.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Which- Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section. Fig. 4 is a front sectional view of a socket, and Fig. 5 views of different relative positions of a head or button and contact-points.

In the drawings the reference 1 marks a socket having a shank 2 whereby it may be supported in a socketedbracket as in United States Letters Patent, granted March 12, 1901, and bearing No. 669,935, so as to turn freely about a vertical axis. The socket 1 has a removable vertical partition 3 therein which divides the same into two chambers and which forms the back of the chamber in which rests the button 4 of the holder. The socket 1 has an open-ended vertical slot in its front wall for the reception of a round shank 5, on the end of which said button 4 is formed. The.

button 4 has a piece of insulating material 6 inlaid therein or secured in a rabbeted portion thereof. rIlhe partition 3 is perforated to receive and support bushings 7, of insulating T the other arm slides.

material, having inside flanges to afford abutments for the springs of yielding pins or contact-points 8, which form the terminals of electric-light wires 9, the connections between the points 8 and wires 9 being in the space or chamber in rear of the partition 3. The positions of the points 3 with relation to the insulation 6 and the metal portion of the button 4 are indicated in Fig. 5, the circuit being completed when the pins are in contact with the metal, as will be understood. The electric light (not shown) may be located in any convenient position to illuminate the book directly or indirectly.

The shank 5 has parallel jaws 10 integral therewith between and connecting which is a web 11. A guide 12 is fast to the web 11 at right angles thereto, and the front end of the web 11 isslotted to receive the round body 13 of a right-and-left screw 14. Endwise motion of the screw is prevented by iianges 15 thereon which embrace the sides of the web 11, as shown, and' turning of the screw may be done by means of a wrench fitted on the polygonal head thereof or by other means. Clamp-arms 16 have ends itting snugly between the jaws 10 and may be provided with inside flanges, as in said Letters Patent No. 669,935, for supporting the back of the book. The arms 16 are provided with ends 17, 'having screw-threaded holes for engagement with 'thescrew 14, as shown, and perforations titting closely over the guide 12. One arm, 16, has a guide-pin 18 fast thereto and on which At the free ends of the arms 16 is a screw-bolt and nut 19 for drawing those ends toward each other. One or more book-holding flat strips 20 have eyes which are threaded on the guide-pin 18 and the' bolt 19. Sides or leaves 21 are hinged to the arms 16 in such wise that they will lie out flat when the arms are turned to one position and will hang down when the arms are turned half-way round, thus providing supports for the open book and protection therefor when it is closed.

In order to insert a book or periodical, the the bolt 19 may be removed, thus releasing one end of the strip 20, and screw 14 is turned to cause the arms 16 to be separated far enough IOO to allow the book or periodical to be inserted between said a'rms, after which the strip 2O is placed between leaves of the book and the bolt 19 is replaced through the eyes of the arms 16 and the strip 20. The screws 14 and 19 are set up to draw the arms 16 toward each other until the book or periodical is firmly clamped between said arms. It is not necessary that the bolt 19 be wholly removed when it is desired to insert abook or the like. It is obvious that more than one stripQO may be used and that one or more books or the like may be clamped in place at one and the same time, the total thickness depending upon the widthv of the jaws 10, as will be evident. rlhe jaws 10 afford supporting bearing both above and below for the arms 16.

. hen -the parts are in the position Ashown in Fig. 1, the inlay 6 is in .contact with thepoints Sand the lightingcircuit is broken, and

when the parts are in the positions shown in Fig.V 2 the circuit is completed, for at this time the relative positions of the button 4 and points 8 areas indicated in the upper part of Fig. 5;

The invention is not limited to the precise -orm or embodiment thereof shown in the drawings and above described.

-What I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a book-holder, the combination of jaws united at one end, parallel clamping-arms each having one end held against motion in one plane by said jaws and each extending outward from the same, a guide for said arms rigidly connected with said jaws, at right angles to said plane, and means for moving said arms along said jaws and guide.

2. In a book-holder, the combination of jaws united at one end, parallel clamping-arms each having one end held against motion in one plane by said jaws and each extending outward from the same, a guide for said arms rigidly connected to said jaws at right angles to said plane, and a swiveled right-and-left screw en# gaging and moving said arms along said jaws and guide.

3. In a book-holder, the combination of united parallel jaws, clamping-arms between said jaws and held thereby, a guide for said arms rigidly connected with and parallel to said jaws, and means for moving said arms in opposite directions on said jaws and guide, with a guide-pin secured to one of said arms and coacting with the other arm, and a draw-bolt connecting the free ends of said arms.

4:. In a book-holder, the combination of united parallel jaws, clamping-arms between said jaws and held thereby, a guide for said arms rigidly connected with said jaws, means for moving said arms in opposite directions on said jaws and guide, a guide-pin `secured to one arm and coacting with the other arm, a draw-bolt connecting the free ends of said arms, and a holding-strip having eyes loosely fitting on said guide-pin and draw-bolt.

5. In a book-holder, a socket provided with a vertical partition, an open-ended slot in the front wall thereof, and spring contact-points insulated from and passing through said partition, in combination with a book-holding device provided with a shank havinga head provided with insulation at one side of its center in position to contact with saidcontact-points when the head is in one position and metal at the other side of said center to close the circuit through said points when in another position.

'6. 'In a book-holder, the combination of jaws united at` one end, a web or brace extending in the direction of said jaws and uniting the same, parallel clamping-arms, one at either side of said web, each having one end held against motion in a plane parallel to said web by said jaws and each extending outward from said jaws, a guide for said arms rigidly connected with said web, and means for moving said arms along the jaws and guide.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 17th day of February, A. D. 1903.

LOUIS BLOCK. 

